The Portal is Ruining College Football

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

14 hours ago, Old fan 47 said:

There is no loyalty to a school that signed you and took a chance on you in many cases. The NCAA is a complete joke. Everyone knows you can be one and done in BB, but that’s a whole different story. Yes, I realize the top programs deal with this as well, but it is becoming absurd. These kids agree to play a sport on a scholarship at a particular school. I’m just not sure enough of them understand that most of them have no future in the NFL even if on a scholarship, but yet they bolt at the first chance they get. Let’s take a second and think back to some “greats” that transferred before it became as easy as unpacking. Roc Thomas, 5 star, never heard of again, woody ? Forget his last name, basically never amounted to his ranking. My point is, these guys could at the very least have earned a degree from a major university. In choosing not to honor their signing, how did things work out for them. Of course I forgot about Mike Dyer until just now. I wish nothing but success for these guys, but some of them of course have off field issues and some just don’t want to accept new regimes or coaching and rules in general. I expect flak from this post, but I would love to argue the fact that the NCAA is not responsible for this. The Pandemic is one thing, but how many of these players are truly leaving due to that. Just my $.25 worth. Have at it. 

Got to say, this is an entirely antiquated view. The whole "School Spirit" facade is antiquated. There hasn't been true school spirit since the 80s era of collegiate athletics, maybe even further back than that. Its about the financial opportunity. THATS IT.

Why do college students even go to school? Because they want to set themselves up for greater money, that's why. If I'm an engineering student and there is a professor that I want to study under and learn top flight engineering tricks like some secret black magic CAD technique and all of the sudden that professor leaves and the program is a shell of itself, I'm going to transfer. Its the same with athletics.

Like it or not, when a player signs an NLI or walks on and gets financial aid from the school for their athletics, they are signing a BUSINESS CONTRACT. Business contracts don't give a damn about whether or not you love the financier that's bankrolling whatever you're signing on for or any sort of affinity. Its about a mutual agreement and unless there are specific clauses that specify not breaking that contract, you can easily sever those ties through the proper channel. The transfer portal is finally the opportunity to do just that for players if they execute their rights to use it properly. And you can't arbitrarily say that just because a player didn't play at AU that they won't make it to the league because Roc Thomas made it to the vikings and played for a while. Chris Landrum also is still in the league as a linebacker despite not making it at AU, several players can leave a situation where they aren't being used to the best of their skillset and/or have competition that's a better fit for that system and it doesn't mean they're a bust and need to just sit there, bust their ass in practice, risk injuries, endure being a practice dummy and say "Sure am glad I got my degree."

Even if a player never plays a game, by being a part of the team and the program, they're fulfilling their end of the contract that offers them the financial compensation and resources at the very least because they're not in another program that could put their skills to use against AUBURN. Its also just not about accepting new regimes, sometimes a regime has a different vision for their team than what the old ones had. If I come in and I want FAST QUICK SMALL WRs for a true Run and Shoot style system, am I going to make use of my 6'4 guys or my TEs? No, so its best for them to transfer out. Without the transfer portal, these guys get railroaded by the school who can specify where they can go and can't, can hold out on giving them a PTC letter, and essentially can make sure they can't succeed or have the opportunity to anywhere else. That's not fair to the player. The Transfer portal is one of the best things to happen to the sport because it has provided some parity in the league, especially against schools that can horde top tier talent like Alabama for years before banishing 5 stars that may be able to help another team, to obscurity.

Reconsider this post. 

 

13 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

We agree on this part for sure. But the portal didn’t ruin college football. Corporate entities taking in billions of dollars on the backs of kids who can’t have a summer job or take a sandwich without violating some rule. Throw in coaches who lie to sign them, then bolt at the first opportunity to better themselves. The kids figured out the NCAA, ESPN, and their coaches were looking out for their own interest first, now they’ve been empowered to do the same. And they are not wrong for taking advantage of it. I don’t like what has happened, mind you. But much overhaul is needed to correct course and return the game to some sense of stability. 

EXACTLY.

The fact that a player can't benefit off of their likeness while in school is already criminal. If I'm a top flight graduate student with an amazing scientific theory or incredible academic achievement, I could go and start marketing my brilliance and be allowed to secure speaking engagements or amass social media clout and turn that into a great crowd-funded youtube or influencer deal.

Meanwhile, you expect me to believe that athletes who permanently cripple themselves (In my case) for the benefit of helping a school achieve one more trophy for a display case in the front of their lobby that few people even use cant? That's the first injustice. Coaches are all about their own futures around the sport, why can't players be?

11 hours ago, Zeek said:

If they're truly Student-Athletes with an emphasis on the first part then shouldn't they be able to change schools like any other college student?

I understand where you're coming from but the NCAA sitting quietly while Bama buys the best team money can afford every year has damaged college football more than anything. No team stays that consistent that long without something being incredibly wrong.

This much is true.... 

1 hour ago, AUGunsmith said:

Can auburn fans please stop the bama buys players bull****. 

 

Elite talent goes to bama because they win, because they have the best coach to ever grace a college campus, because they have a real shot of making it to the show. 

UAT does nothing more or less than any other school. Well except maybe tenn

Bama has the benefit of having an excellent program builder in Saban, top tier coaches, and the pick of elite talent. That much is for sure, but Saban has a special amount of cache to ward off investigations or be given the benefit of the doubt because of the fact that their success is integral to the profit margins on the sport. Would NCAAF succeed if Tennessee were the golden child? No, that'd be a net loss because the cultural buy-in of that market isn't there. Therefore if Tenn is caught in a scandal, the risk analysis would say that they need to be punished for the sake of maintaining face because the NCAA stands to lose more money if they aren't punished than if they succeed.

Its a vicious cycle, and while you're right, there is still a certain level of clout that Alabama has over other schools in terms of being able to make violations and investigations go away or never take off. (Its not about the investigations that you see and hear about, but the ones that you don't.)

42 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

Players at Auburn receive well over $100k a year in resources.  Paying them is a joke unless they're going to turn around and pay for tuition, room, Board, nutritionist, strength development, tutoring,etc.

  

7 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

I guess I need to say it again,  Auburn football players are extremely well compensated. 

 

Antiquated take on athletics.

Playing football is more than a 40hr a week job. The school makes money hand over fist through providing these resources for the athletes and if they turned around and made athletes pay for this, I'm sure there is another school without an antiquated mindset that would gain a competitive advantage by providing these services at no cost. Its a value proposition. Its business...

Collegiate sports is a business. Doing what you said would be a death-knell for a program and I guarantee you that if a program can legally find a way to pay their players out in the open, they'll do it in a heartbeat if it means 1 or 2 more 5-Star recruits a year because that means potentially millions down the road. Think about how much Cam Newton changed the trajectory of Auburn financially and brand-wise. If we don't win that Natty, do we even get any of the recruits that helped us go on to get to the 2014 Championship?

EDIT:

The compensation value of a player is not for you to decide, its relative to the market and if the market for a player is higher than what Auburn provides (which it is.) then they aren't.

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

2 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

That really doesn't matter when it's not even close to what they are worth.  They get the exact same thing players received 2 decades ago, but everyone around them is filthy rich making 5x more than they did in that same time frame.

Why do you get to decide how much these kids are worth?

Hah.   Their compensation has greatly increased over the last two decades.   You talk about a can of worms, you'd have schools promising to have their boosters purchase insane amounts of "likenesses".  All this would do is widen the gap between the haves and the have nots. 

[Hank2020 3,212]

1 hour ago, AUGunsmith said:

Can auburn fans please stop the bama buys players bull****. 

 

Elite talent goes to bama because they win, because they have the best coach to ever grace a college campus, because they have a real shot of making it to the show. 

UAT does nothing more or less than any other school. Well except maybe tenn

I haven’t been able to find any back up evidence on this, but it is my guess Bama doesn’t improve anyone’s odds at “ getting to the show”. I would guess it has more to do with getting more talented players that have Avery high likelihood of making it anyway. I also think it is very impressive to HS seniors to see him wearing all the rings at one time. It is why I see him as the greatest recruiter of all time rather than greatest coach of all time.

[W.E.D 11,070]

6 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

Hah.   Their compensation has greatly increased over the last two decades.   You talk about a can of worms, you'd have schools promising to have their boosters purchase insane amounts of "likenesses".  All this would do is widen the gap between the haves and the have nots. 

Well, that money would be above the table vs where it is now.

[aubearcat 2,138]

I’m for the NCAA unionizing like the pro sports. Put a cap on spending and if a school goes over that amount they pay a luxury tax. The player gets compensated relative to his ranking coming into school and it can go up or down based on performance. Walk-Ons could receive a “league minimum “ and earn more, again relative to their performance. This would also NOT negate scholarship privileges. Have a CBA type deal if you will. 
The argument that smaller schools would be left out at being able to compete is already a reality. UC was undefeated and was left out of the playoffs so that 2 teams with a loss, and much more national appeal, could play as well as a team that played a handful of games. 

[AUGunsmith 666]

50 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Everyone cheats.  Bama Cheats, we cheat, UGA cheats, UT obviously cheated.

Bama cheats and can guarantee a national championship if you stay 3 years.  That plus the biggest payoff which is countless NFL draft picks.  That's more important than the cheating

Hell i can name specific names from 2 different sports who i saw get paid while working for the athletic dept. 

The Auburn fan base of accepting mediocrity while claiming some moral nigh ground fits in perfectly with the hypocrisy of existing in the Bible belt. 

This isn't a comment on Christianity, but a comment on the culture and beliefs of the lowest common denominator of the region as a whole. 

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

1 minute ago, aubearcat said:

I’m for the NCAA unionizing like the pro sports. Put a cap on spending and if a school goes over that amount they pay a luxury tax. The player gets compensated relative to his ranking coming into school and it can go up or down based on performance. Walk-Ons could receive a “league minimum “ and earn more, again relative to their performance. This would also NOT negate scholarship privileges. Have a CBA type deal if you will. 
The argument that smaller schools would be left out at being able to compete is already a reality. UC was undefeated and was left out of the playoffs so that 2 teams with a loss, and much more national appeal, could play as well as a team that played a handful of games. 

In addition to this, I would think there would also need to be academic milestones and stipulations on receiving pay as well.

This way you can keep things from slanting too far into the realm of pay to play.

[AUGunsmith 666]

1 minute ago, aubearcat said:

I’m for the NCAA unionizing like the pro sports. Put a cap on spending and if a school goes over that amount they pay a luxury tax. The player gets compensated relative to his ranking coming into school and it can go up or down based on performance. Walk-Ons could receive a “league minimum “ and earn more, again relative to their performance. This would also NOT negate scholarship privileges. Have a CBA type deal if you will. 
The argument that smaller schools would be left out at being able to compete is already a reality. UC was undefeated and was left out of the playoffs so that 2 teams with a loss, and much more national appeal, could play as well as a team that played a handful of games. 

UC doesn't even belong on the same field as alabama. Being undefeated as a mid tier school shouldn't matter for national considerations. 

 

This just goes to show that D1 football is too big. Trim out the fat. 

[AUGunsmith 666]

2 minutes ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

In addition to this, I would think there would also need to be academic milestones and stipulations on receiving pay as well.

This way you can keep things from slanting too far into the realm of pay to play.

Pay to play is fine. Most major college athletes aren't exactly the smartest around. People who couldn't even sniff the academic jock of the last man accepted into Auburn every year are allowed in solely for athletic ability. 

 

You have entire degrees built around keeping the unintelligent academically eligible. Just look at the s*** show surrounding business admin degree at auburn. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

15 minutes ago, AUGunsmith said:

UC doesn't even belong on the same field as alabama. Being undefeated as a mid tier school shouldn't matter for national considerations. 

 

This just goes to show that D1 football is too big. Trim out the fat. 

I' love to see the playoffs expand so a G5 team can get in and just get destroyed ever year.  Maybe after a few they will not be included ever again

[Hank2020 3,212]

26 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

I' love to see the playoffs expand so a G5 team can get in and just get destroyed ever year.  Maybe after a few they will not be included ever again

It looked like to me that UC proved they could play with top tier SEC teams this year (probably not every year). I believe they would have played as well as ND did this year.

[W.E.D 11,070]

12 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

It looked like to me that UC proved they could play with top tier SEC teams this year (probably not every year). I believe they would have played as well as ND did this year.

Bama would have absolutely destroyed them

[Hank2020 3,212]

Just now, W.E.D said:

Bama would have absolutely destroyed them

But they also “destroyed” everyone they played last year including the final 2 games of the year.

[aubearcat 2,138]

1 hour ago, AUGunsmith said:

UC doesn't even belong on the same field as alabama. Being undefeated as a mid tier school shouldn't matter for national considerations. 

 

This just goes to show that D1 football is too big. Trim out the fat. 

I didn’t imply that they did. 95% of the teams in college football didn’t need to be on the field with ua. I was using it as an example that smaller schools/teams are already left out of the “arms race”. It was an example of paying players wouldn’t necessarily adversely effect the smaller/lower tiered schools. 

[Zeek 16,658]

3 hours ago, AUGunsmith said:

Can auburn fans please stop the bama buys players bull****. 

 

Elite talent goes to bama because they win, because they have the best coach to ever grace a college campus, because they have a real shot of making it to the show. 

UAT does nothing more or less than any other school. Well except maybe tenn

That's why they go now but not how they built it. Bama has the sketchiest recruiting practices in the history of sports. The stories are numerous and ridiculous. 

 

[cptau 169]

The portal can be almost a death penalty for teams like UT.  They just had an internal investigation with HC and other coaches fired.   The rest of the staff is soon to go.  Players will leave via the portal and recruits will not commit.   The ncaa will drag out its investigation and announcement of penalties.  

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

4 hours ago, W.E.D said:

Well, that money would be above the table vs where it is now.

What difference does that make?  I ain't worried about someone paying taxes, I'm worried about another way for the teams that accumulate the most talent to have additional pathways to do so.